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Civil rights activists rip eBay items

Activists have requested that Internet auction giant eBay stop listing items they say are racially offensive, demeaning to blacks and that promote racial intolerance.

The groups showed cast-iron banks they said were examples of items listed on eBay. One was a caricature of a black person, with large red lips, dark skin and rolling eyes, that had been described on eBay using the n-word.

"This is what they think of us," said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of the Inglewood, Calif.-based National Alliance for Positive Action, a racial and social justice public advocacy group. "This shows the absolute utter contempt many in the society still have for African-Americans even today."

natalliance.org

California takes lead in fighting spammers

California is taking the lead in trying to eliminate unwanted and sometimes offensive e-mails - spam to you and me - with a law working its way through the state Senate. Democratic state Sen. Debra Bowen's bill would enforce a ban on commercial advertising via e-mail and make it legal for the recipients of those unwanted e-mails to sue the sender.

It is a sweeping measure proposing that all unsolicited commercial e-mails to Californians, from either inside or outside the state, be termed legal, regardless of whether the recipient is a private resident, a business or a nonprofit. The punishment would be a minimum penalty of $500 per violation.

siliconvalley.internet. com/news/article.php/1588521

English town rallies to ban child-molester site

The town of Chester, England, has persuaded search engine Google to remove a child porn Web site from its listings in a unified community effort led by the local newspaper, the Chester Chronicle. Anyone innocently typing "Chester Guide" into Google had been met with a site dedicated to picking up small girls. The site - run by someone calling himself "Chester the Molester" - was the second search result in Google's list and stood out among dozens of sites offering tourist information. The leader of Chester City Council, John Price, told The Chronicle: "It's great news the site has been removed. Good riddance to bad rubbish. However, we must now be vigilant and make sure it does not come back."

www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/29442. html

Consumer group gives free assistance online

The free-content section of the Consumer Reports Web site has just added a new report on mutual funds called its "five best-kept secrets." The idea is that since shareholders' rights to investment information are limited, it is wise to learn all you can about avoiding hidden dangers.

Also available are reports on "The dangers of ephedra," "New auto- safety laws," "Does aromatherapy work? " and a comprehensive look at TVs, from rear-projection to plasma flat-panel.

www.consumerreports. org/main/home.jsp CONTACT THE WRITER: 636- 0126 or bainbird@gazette.com